QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I’m going to frame the receipt when I go home, to remind myself of what might be possible: Legal everywhere.”
James Aaron Ramsey, a musician who stood in line to buy marijuana in Colorado on Wednesday, the first day it was legally sold in the state Article, 1A
New England readies for winter storm
HARTFORD, Conn. - Residents and emergency management officials in New England and parts of New York prepared Wednesday for a winter storm predicted to help usher in 2014 with snow and low temperatures across much of the region.
Snow was expected to begin falling overnight in some areas, promising a messy commute for the first business day of the new year, but the full storm wasn’t expected to hit until later today. As much as a foot of snow or more was forecast for some areas overnight into Friday, and temperatures were expected to plummet, with some areas seeing highs just above zero, the National Weather Service said. Sections of interior southern New England and New York were forecast to get up to a foot of snow.
Barbara Bush still in Houston hospital
HOUSTON - Former first lady Barbara Bush remained hospitalized with a respiratory-related illness Wednesday, a spokesman for her husband’s office said.
Bush, 88, was admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital on Monday, though it wasn’t announced until former President George H.W. Bush’s office released a statement Tuesday night.
“She is in great spirits, has already received visits from her husband and family, and is receiving fantastic care,” the statement read.
Jim McGrath, a spokesman for the former president, said there was “nothing new to report” Wednesday.
President Barack Obama and wife Michelle released a statement Wednesday wishing Barbara Bush a “speedy recovery.”’13 charitable giving topped $3.4 billion
WASHINGTON - Philanthropy made a comeback in large donations in 2013 with the nation’s wealthiest donors giving more than $3.4 billion to charity, according to a new tally of the top 10 gifts of 2013 by the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
The analysis of the year’s top gifts also found that there were more gifts of $100 million or more than in 2012. In 2013, there were 15 publicly announced gifts of at least $100 million, compared with 11 in 2012.
The largest donation of 2013 came from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, who announced in December that they had given 18 million shares of Facebook stock to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. The gift was valued at more than $990 million. This was the first time donors under the age of 30 have made the nation’s largest philanthropic gift, according to the report.
Nike Inc. co-founder and chairman Philip Knight and his wife, Penelope, made the second-largest gift commitment of 2013, pledging $500 million to the Oregon Health and Science University Foundation for cancer research.
The university has to match the donation in the next two years to receive the full gift.
The third-highest gift of 2013 was a $350 million pledge from Michael Bloomberg to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore to promote cross-disciplinary studies and undergraduate financial aid.
Fiat to buy UAW trust’s stake in Chrysler
DETROIT - Chrysler, the smallest of the three U.S. automakers, is set to be completely absorbed by an Italian company, Fiat.
Fiat said on Wednesday that it had reached an agreement to take full ownership of Chrysler in a $4.35 billion deal with the United Automobile Workers retiree healthcare fund.
Fiat and the UAW trust have shared ownership since Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy in 2009. The deal to buy out the trust’s 41 percent stake will make Fiat the world’s seventh-largest automaker.
The agreement, which is expected to close Jan. 20, will allow the car maker and the union to end months of negotiations over the value of the UAW’s stake. Union leadership had been pressing to force a public stock offering to cash out its shares on the open market amid arbitration in a Delaware court over the value of the trust’s stake.
Front Section, Pages 4 on 01/02/2014